Outcasts
by Brambleshadow of WindClan
Summary: She was the ThunderClan medicine cat; he was a WindClan warrior. Now that their secret is out, they're both outcasts. [Pairings: Leaf/Crow, Lion/Heather, Squirrel/Bramble. Canon divergence. Slightly OOC. UP FOR ADOPTION]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This takes place a few moons after _Sunrise_ ends, but is obviously before _The Fourth Apprentice. _Spoilers in later chapter if you haven't read _The Fourth Apprentice. _As also read on forums. warrior cats. com by me, Brambleshadow of WindClan. (Sorry about the spaces. There really aren't any in the web address.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Warriors_ and am not Erin Hunter. All characters except for imaginary ones belong to the Erins.**

* * *

Chapter 1

_L__eafpool walked slowly through the thorn _barrier and into the ThunderClan camp. Her two remaining kits, Lionblaze and Jayfeather were sitting together, gulping down a blackbird. Suddenly, a yowl ran throughout the ThunderClan camp, causing Leafpool to jump: "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

The rest of ThunderClan padded over to sit beneath Highledge to here what Firestar had to say. Leafpool and her kits joined them.  
Firestar was seated calmly, a hint of regret in his eyes, but his deputy, Brambleclaw, sure wasn't. His amber eyes glared daggers at Leafpool, Squirrelflight, and the cats he had claimed as his sons.

"Leafpool," Firestar meowed. "I don't want to do this, but I have no choice. As of now, you are no longer a warrior of ThunderClan. If any of our patrols catch you on our territory after sunset today, we will treat you as we would any enemy."

"Firestar, you're banishing our own daughter!" Sandstorm exclaimed, leaping to her paws.

"What about my kits?" Leafpool demanded, neck fur bristling.

"Your kits will stay here. Lionblaze is one of our best warriors, and ThunderClan needs a medicine cat." It was Brambleclaw who spoke.

"Fine," Leafpool meowed frostily. She whisked around and sprinted out of camp.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the WindClan camp, Crowfeather was having problems of his own. Nightcloud and Breezepelt were facing him with fur bristling, claws unsheathed, and anger glittering in their eyes.

"I can't believe you would do such a thing," Nightcloud snarled.

"You betrayed my mother, me, and your Clan," Breezepelt growled, taking a swipe at Crowfeather's ear. His father bristled, dodging the blow.

"I didn't even know until they told me," he protested. "Besides, we came back after Midnight--" He broke off abruptly. Breezepelt had no idea he had run away with Leafpool once. "Look, we broke up after the badger attack. I haven't been meeting her since."

His son snarled, "Leave now. And don't bother coming back, _traitor!"_

Onestar stepped forward. "That's for me to decide," he meowed sternly to Breezepelt. Then he added, "But he's right. I'm sorry, Crowfeather, but as of now you are no longer a WindClan warrior. If any of our patrols catch you on WindClan territory, we will treat you as we would any enemy. Go now."

Crowfeather was silent for a few heartbeats, then meowed coldly, "I'll go, but it's WindClan's loss, not mine." He turned around and quickly weaved through the thorn tunnel. Once he was free, he headed to the ThunderClan border with one thought in mind: _I've got to find Leafpool._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Leafpool raced through the trees to_ the WindClan border with one thought in mind: _Find Crowfeather._ Suddenly, she heard the gurgle of rushing water. she slowed, then flopped to the ground when she reached the border stream, trying to catch her breath.

"Leafpool!"

Leafpool's head jerked up. When she saw the lean, dark gray shape running towards her, she leaped to her paws.

"Crowfeather!" she exclaimed happily. The cat she loved splashed his way through the stream, hauling himself out on the ThunderClan side. Leafpool pressed her muzzle into his fur and twined her tail with his, purring.

"Leafpool, I need your help." Crowfeather's blue eyes burnt into hers. "Onestar banished me from my Clan." He hesitated before adding, "I lied at the Gathering when I said you and our kits meant nothing to me. I've never stopped loving you."  
Leafpool purred, " I know that, you mouse-brain." Then her voice grew serious. "Crowfeather, I'm an outcast now. Our kits--" She broke off, wondering how to break the news to him.

Crowfeather nudged her gently. "What is it?"

"Lionblaze and Jayfeather are still in ThunderClan. As for Hollyleaf. . . she's dead."

"Leafpool..."

"Don't say it. She tried to kill me and she murdered Ashfur."

Crowfeather looked stunned.

"Look, Crowfeather, we have to go! If we stay here any longer, we'll be discovered."

"You're right. We'll go to where we were before. I'll take care of you Leafpool, I promise," Crowfeather meowed.

Suddenly, the two cats heard paw-steps coming their way.

_Great StarClan!_ Leafpool thought. _First I'm banished and now this._ Quietly, she hissed, "Run!"

They tensed, preparing to run, but before they had taken one paw-step, a WindClan patrol appeared. At the same moment, a ThunderClan patrol stepped through the bracken.

The ThunderClan patrol, made up of Cloudtail, Cinderheart, Berrynose, Lionblaze, and Spiderleg, stopped as soon as they saw Leafpool. The WindClan patrol, made up of Tornear, Nightcloud, Breezepelt, and Heathertail halted as soon as they saw the ThunderClan cats (completely bypassing Leafpool and Crowfeather).

"What's going on here?" Tornear asked Cloudtail. Then he spotted Crowfeather standing so close to Leafpool their pelts were brushing. His neck fur bristled and Breezepelt and Nightcloud let out threatening hisses. Heathertail didn't look surprised, but she was too busy staring at Lionblaze.

Berrynose crouched down. "I'll drive them out," he offered.

Cinderheart touched him on the shoulder with a flick of her tail. "Stand up." Then she meowed, "You two shouldn't even be here, but I'm not surprised. I just thought you would've learned your lesson from the last time you two ran away!"  
The lovers backed away, but whirled around at a snarl from Nightcloud.

"Traitor! I just knew you would go back to her," she growled at her former mate. Breezepelt let out an enraged snarl and leaped at Leafpool.

"No!" Crowfeather yowled. Before he could move, a golden streak moved to stand in front of Leafpool and knocked Breezepelt in the stream. It was Lionblaze. The two of them wrestled in the stream while the two Clans leaped into battle.

"Come on," Leafpool heard Crowfeather murmur in her ear. "Let's go." They slipped away and raced upstream. Behind them, the sounds of battle paused as the battling cats saw they were missing.

"Hey, did we order our prey to go?" Berrynose asked.

"No why?" Heathertail asked.

"'Cause there it goes!" Berrynose yowled.

Immediately the patrols started to go after them, but Cloudtail stopped the ThunderClan patrol, reminding them they had a patrol to finish. "Besides, we have to report this to Firestar."

"Okay," Spiderleg meowed.

Of course, that didn't stop the WindClan patrol. Leafpool could hear them chasing after them.

_Fox dung!_

Within a few heartbeats, the WindClan cats had caught up to them with Lionblaze and Cinderheart following, keeping themselves hidden.  
"Stay right where you are," Tornear growled. He flicked his tail, and the patrol jumped over the stream and fanned out. Leafpool and Crowfeather had no choice but to cross over into WindClan with them.

"What should we do with them?" Nightcloud asked.

Heathertail spoke up. "I think we should take them with us to see Onestar. With a contemptuous flick of her striped tail at her former mentor and Leafpool, she added, "He'll know what to do with them.

"Good idea," Breezepelt agreed. "We might as well take their _halfClan_ kits with us."

"No way!" Leafpool spat.

From behind them came a murmur of agreement.

The six cats jumped, then relaxed somewhat as Lionblaze and Cinderheart came out from their hiding place.

"I have to agree with you," Lionblaze meowed to Leafpool. Next to him, Cinderheart bristled and meowed angrily," You two are making a big mistake! Leafpool, I expected better of you. You're throwing you're life away as a ThunderClan cats again!"

With that, she stalked away, leaving the other cats staring at her in bewilderment. Lionblaze shrugged, and followed his Clanmate into the undergrowth.

Tornear flicked his tail at the loners, sighed, and meowed, "Come on, you two."

Leafpool and Crowfeather exchanged glances then followed them. Immediately, Nightcloud and Heathertail went on either side of them. Breezepelt padded along behind them as Tornear led the way to the WindClan camp.


	3. Chapter 3

_The WindClan camp was swarming with_ cats when the patrol returned with the outcasts. Crowfeather bristled when he saw how they were staring at him and his mate. Most of the WindClan cats were staring at them with hostility, but the kits were gazing at them with curiosity. By now, night had fallen, and he was tired. Tornear padded to Onestar's den to make his report. After a few heartbeats, Onestar padded out of his den and leaped onto Tallrock, yowling the familiar summons.

At his call, the WindClan cats stopped what they were doing and headed over to Tallrock.

_Great,_ Crowfeather thought. _He's trying to humiliate us._

He noticed Nightcloud and Breezepelt with open hostility and hatred in their eyes, while his mother, Ashfoot, had a look of sympathy. The Clan deputy was seated at the base of Tallrock. When he returned his attention to Onestar, the brown tabby tom was saying, "What do you think we should do with them?"

Nightcloud stood up. "I think we should punish them," she meowed.

Webfoot, an elder, meowed heatedly, "Are you mousebrained? WindClan _never_ tortures cats. Besides, young Leafpool here is Firestar's daughter. Have you forgotten how much ThunderClan and Leafpool have done for our Clan?"

"That's not what I meant," the black she-cat protested. "I thought we could separate them and guard each of them so they don't try anything."

Onestar nodded, looking thoughtful. "That could work," he decided. "Harespring, Heathertail, lead them to their dens."

Crowfeather stepped in front of Leafpool and arched his back. He growled, "Touch her, and you're dead."

Both cats stepped back.

"Come on," Crowfeather whispered to Leafpool. "Follow me." They turned and raced out of camp before anyone could react.

As soon as they were five fox-lengths from the entrance, he heard Nightcloud's enraged yowl. He looked back, and saw the two black warriors pelting after them. Crowfeather heard Nightcloud growl, "I'll go for Leafpool. You take that turncoat there."

Fear for Leafpool rushed through Crowfeather.

"Head for the border!" he yowled to Leafpool. She nodded, and they veered for the topmost border of WindClan territory. In ten minutes, they passed the border, causing Nightcloud and Breezepelt to skid to a halt.

"This isn't over," Breezepelt growled. "Your kits won't stay safe forever, you know."

_He wouldn't._

Beside him, Leafpool tensed.

"You wouldn't dare," she hissed.

"Watch me," Breezepelt retorted. "Oh, right, you won't be able to."

Leafpool bristled, but before she could reply, Nightcloud spoke up. "Come on, Breezepelt. Let's go."

Breezepelt gave his father one last hate-filled look, then turned and followed his mother back to camp. Crowfeather relaxed as soon as he saw Nightcloud and Breezepelt vanish behind a fold of moorland.

"Come on," he meowed to Leafpool, touching her light brown tabby shoulder with his tail. "Let's go to where we were before."

"Sounds good to me," his mate mewed. "Can we hunt first? I'm starving."

"Sure," Crowfeather purred.

At that moment, a rabbit appeared, sending the two cats off in pursuit of it. Crowfeather leaped and caught the rabbit between his forepaws, dispatching it with a swift bite to the back of the neck. Leafpool, meanwhile, and found a mouse and caught it. He purred as she padded over to him and lay down so they could eat together.

They didn't say much as they gulped down their meal. When they were finished, Leafpool meowed, "Let's keep going. If I remember right, that place where we camped before is near here."

She was right. The moon had barely reached moonhigh when they arrived at their camp. Crowfeather launched himself down the rocky slope. There was a small pool of water at the bottom, with a few wind-scorched trees. Two large rocks near the pool formed a natural cave. Crowfeather made his way over to it and crept inside. After opening his jaws to taste the air and finding nothing unusual, he called, "Come in. It's all right."

Leafpool launched herself down the slope to join him. "I'll go find some moss and bracken so we can make a nest."

"Great," Crowfeather nodded. She climbed out the other side and disappeared. While he was waiting, Crowfeather padded down to the pool to soak his sore pads. The moon was almost at its zenith when Leafpool returned, her jaws dripping with moss and bracken. She padded over to him and dropped her supply at his paws.

"Nice job!" Crowfeather praised her. "Where'd you get it?"

"I'll show you tomorrow," Leafpool told him. They quickly made a nest out of the bundle and curled up together. Crowfeather was so tired it wasn't long before sleep crashed over him like a black wave.


	4. Chapter 4

_Leafpool woke up with a start and_ found herself next to Crowfeather. After a moment's confusion she recalled the events of the previous day: being banished from her Clan, finding Crowfeather, the encounter with the ThunderClan and WindClan patrols, their escape, and the journey. She sat up and decided to go to the pool for a drink. The rustling of the nest woke Crowfeather.

"Where are you going?" he asked sleepily.

"To get a drink," Leafpool replied.

"I'm coming with you. Besides, you said you'd show me where you found that moss." Crowfeather heaved himself out of their nest and followed her to the entrance of their little den. They padded down to the pool and drank. When they were finished, Leafpool meowed, "Come on. I'll show you where I found the moss and bracken."

She raced across the rocks and over the edge of the hollow, Crowfeather right on her tail. Then she padded over to a little stream. There was a small copse of trees a few fox-lengths away upstream. Leafpool trotted over to the trees and halted at the base of a huge tree. She unsheathed her claws, arched them as far as they would go, and cut a big bunch of moss off of the bark, leaving the dirt and wood behind. There was a load of bracken nearby, so Crowfeather padded over and bit of a few of the stems.

"Let's go back to camp," he mewed, his mew muffled by the ferns.

Leafpool nodded, so they headed back to camp.

* * *

When they reached camp and put down their bedding supplies, Leafpool tasted the air. To her surprise, there was the scent of another cat, an unfamiliar one. Which made the mystery cat no less than an intruder, of course.

She caught Crowfeather's eye and whispered to him, "Intruder!"

He meowed, "We'll take care of it."

When the intruder came out of their den, the mates tensed their muscles and sprang.


	5. Chapter 5

_Leafpool landed near the intruder, but _Crowfeather landed right on top of it. The trespasser, a large silver tabby tom with green eyes, yowled in surprise and pain and twisted, trying to throw Crowfeather off. The dark gray tom hung on, digging his front claws into the tom's shoulders and clawed his back with his hind claws. Leafpool bristled and swiped an unsheathed paw at the silver tom's face.

"This is our territory," she hissed. "Get out now!"

"All right!" the strange tom mewed, rolling onto his back in an attempt to dislodge the former WindClan warrior. Crowfeather leaped clear and planted a paw on the intruder's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Leafpool demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"Are there any other cats with you?" Crowfeather interjected before the cat could answer.

"One question at a time! My name is Boulder. I'm just passing through, and no, there aren't any other cats with me."

Leafpool exchanged a glance with Crowfeather.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" she asked him anxiously.

"It's either trust him or kill him, and I don't want to kill him," Crowfeather meowed quietly. He lifted his paw and told Boulder to get out of their territory. Boulder didn't hesitate. He fled like a pack of feral dogs was on his tail.

"Come on," Leafpool meowed to Crowfeather. "You need to rest, and I need to find some marigold to treat those scratches."

"Okay," the dark gray tom meowed. He crept inside the den and flopped down in the nest. Once she was sure he was rested, Leafpool left to search for marigold. It was near sunhigh when Leafpool returned with a bunch of marigold in her jaws. She had found plenty in the copse of trees where she had found the moss. There was also a huge amount of other healing herbs nearby, but she didn't have time to collect those. She headed back to camp and dropped a few marigold leaves near Crowfeather. After placing the rest in a safe place, she returned to her mate's side and chewed the marigold leaves into a poltuce. Leafpool smeared the pulp onto Crowfeather's scratches.

"That feels good," he mewed gratefully.

"You're welcome. You'll be healed by sunset," Leafpool replied.

"When I'm healed, we can start marking our territory," Crowfeather meowed.

"That sounds nice," Leafpool meowed sleepily. "Shouldn't we find a better place to live, first?"

"We can make a nice living here," Crowfeather meowed, "but we could find a better camp."

"Okay." At that, Leafpool drifted off to sleep, tired from the morning's events.

* * *

When she woke at sunset, Crowfeather was already up and gone. There was a small pile of fresh-kill at the base of the pool, and Leafpool looked around for her mate. She spotted him coming over the edge of the slope with a couple of unexpected visitors.

"Squirrelflight! Brambleclaw! What are you doing here?" Leafpool exclaimed, racing over to them.

Her sister looked uncomfortable. "We wanted to see you," she mewed. Brambleclaw ran his tail down her flank and meowed, "It's Lionblaze. He's missing. And not only that, Heathertail is gone too."

"We wanted to know if you'd seen them," Squirrelflight meowed.

"No, we haven't," Crowfeather told them. "Besides, we can't go back. We've been exiled, in case you've forgotten."

"Oh. It's just that their scent trails led us across the WindClan border, but then we lost it," Squirrelflight informed them. "We'd better go."

Before they could go, Leafpool touched her sister's shoulder with her tail-tip. "It's good to see you two together again. You're not going to tell the Clan where we are, right?"

"No, we're not. Thanks," Squirrelflight meowed. With that, the two ThunderClan warriors turned tail and headed back to ThunderClan.

When they were gone, Crowfeather turned to Leafpool. "We have to find them," he meowed.

"You are right. Let's go."

_StarClan, help us find them. They're making a big mistake!_

* * *

Crowfeather padded up the slope with Leafpool, their pelts brushing as they halted, tasting the air to see where their son and his former apprentice had gone. To his surprise, Crowfeather picked up a faint trace of their scent on the breeze blowing towards him and his mate. It was coming from the northern border of their newly-marked territory.

"Come on!" he meowed excitedly to Leafpool. "They went this way." He headed outside the border and doubled back, following the scent trails of Lionblaze and Heathertail. Leafpool was on his heels, scenting the air too.

Suddenly, she let out a mew of joy and broke into a run.

_Did she find them?_ Crowfeather wondered. He broke into a run and kept pace with Leafpool, pawstep by pawstep. After what seemed like seasons, the scent of the two cats they were tracking grew stronger, and as Crowfeather and Leafpool reached the crest of a hill, he spotted his son and Heathertail lying down in the shade of a tree.

_"Lionblaze! Heathertail!"_ Leafpool yowled. She launched herself down the hill and over to the golden tabby tom.

_She-cats!_ Crowfeather thought, but he trotted down the slope and greeted his former apprentice. "Heathertail, Lionblaze, what are you two doing here?" he meowed sternly.

Lionblaze and Heathertail exchanged a glance, then Lionblaze turned back to his parents.

"What does it look like we're doing here?" he challenged.

"You two shouldn't even be here!" Leafpool meowed.

"She's right," Crowfeather meowed. "You two need to go back to the Clans."

"You're a fine one to talk!" Heathertail hissed. "You two ran away so you could be together and your relationship was even more forbidden."

"Great StarClan!" Crowfeather muttered. Leafpool heard him and pressed comfortingly against him.

"Come on, Crowfeather," she murmured. "Remember when we were together and Cinderpelt found out?"

Crowfeather sighed and waved his tail at the two Clan cats. "You'd better come with us." Without waiting for a reply, he started heading back to his and Leafpool's den, his mate, Lionblaze, and Heathertail following.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the lake, Jayfeather was waiting for the rest of the cats on the Gathering patrol. He couldn't wait to see what the other Clans would report, and if any other cats had gone missing.

After a few heartbeats, Firestar waved his tail and the rest of the patrol--made up of Sandstorm, Squirrelflight, Brackenfur, Sorreltail, Brambleclaw, and Cinderheart--followed him as they raced out of the thorn tunnel to the Gathering island.

As they traveled across WindClan's territory, he scented a WindClan patrol coming towards them. Among the WindClan cats, he scented Breezepelt and Nightcloud, along with Harespring, Tornear, and Boulderpaw, Breezepelt's apprentice.

_Great! All the cats who hate me,_ Jayfeather thought. Well, actually, it was all the cats except Tornear and Harespring who hated him, his siblings, and parents.

_I can't believe that piece of fox-dung is my half brother!_

When the WindClan patrol saw the ThunderClan patrol, they hissed and shot them hostile glances.

Thankfully, they had reached the tree-bridge, and Jayfeather jumped up and made his way as fast as he could across it.

* * *

Jayfeather jumped down from the tree-bridge and made his way to the center of the island near the Great Oak. The scents of RiverClan, ShadowClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan mingled together as cats from the four Clans gathered and greeted each other with friendly reserve. The gray tabby tom made his way over to where the other medicine cats were sitting.

"Hello, Jayfeather," Mothwing, Willowshine, Littlecloud, and Flamepaw greeted him.

Barkface and Kestrelflight said nothing, but Jayfeather picked up worry coming from them.

"What's wrong, Barkface?" he asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," was the dark brown tom's reply.

Jayfeather thought about probing his mind, but before he had a chance, he heard Leopardstar calling for the Gathering to start.

"RiverClan will go first," she meowed. "Fishing has been good to us this newleaf, and we have had little trouble from Twolegs." There was a pause as she sat down and flicked her tail at Blackstar, giving him permission to speak.

"ShadowClan has little to report," the large white tom mewed, sitting down and motioning for Firestar to speak.

Firestar stood up on the branch. Jayfeather could picture his green eyes blazing. The ThunderClan leader looked straight at Onestar and hissed, "You have stolen one of our warriors!"

"If you mean Leafpool, we haven't. We banished Crowfeather, and it looks like you exiled Leafpool. And you stole one of our warriors!" Onestar hissed, while yowls of outrage came from the WindClan cats.

"You stole Lionblaze!" Firestar yowled angrily.

"So? You stole Heathertail!"

Then both leaders looked at each other in shock.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: To clear up any confusion, Leafpool and Crowfeather persuaded Lionblaze and Heathertail to go back to the Clans while the Gathering was--is--going on. Oh, and when it switches back to Leafpool and Criwfeather, I canged the time frame so it's now the day before Breezepelt and Brokenstar attack Jayfeather at the Moonpool. *spoiler if you haven't read _The Fourth Apprentice_* Read and enjoy!**

* * *

_"Heathertail?" Firestar mewed._

"Lionblaze?" Onestar meowed.

"We don't have Heathertail," Firestar told Onestar. "Lionblaze is missing, and his scent trail led to your border, where it mingled with a WindClan cat's. They obviously met there. Since Lionblaze is gone and we don't have Heathertail, we assumed you stole him."

"Don't be mouse-brained," Onestar spat. "We don't have any of your warriors."

Jayfeather heard shocked murmurs coming from all four Clans.

"This seems familiar," he heard Barkface mutter.

"Wait a minute!" Brambleclaw meowed from where he sat at the base of the Great Oak. "Does this seem familiar to any other cat? If I remember right, this has happened before."

There was silent as the Clans worked out what he was implying.

"Oh, you don't mean..." Onestar's voice faded.

"Oh, yes, I do."

"They ran away, like another pair of cats I could name," Firestar meowed.

Suddenly, the bushes at the edge of the island rustled and a pair of cats padded into the clearing. Jayfeather knew who they were before the other cats saw them. It was his brother and Heathertail!

"What's going on?" Heathertail meowed.

_"Lionblaze! Heathertail!"_ the ThunderClan and WindClan deputies yowled. Jayfeather scented Ashfoot racing to them, while Brambleclaw stayed where he was.

"You were saying," Blackstar meowed innocently to Firestar and Onestar. For once, they were speechless and Leopardstar brought the Gathering to a close.

* * *

Leafpool curled up in her den with Crowfeather at her side. It had been a busy day, and right now all she wanted to do was sleep.  
Before long, or so it seemed, the milky light of dawn was filtering through their den entrance. She stretched luxuriously and prodded her mate with her paw.

"Wha--?" Crowfeather sat up, blinking sleep from his eyes.

"Dawn patrol."

"Is it really necessary?"

"Yes. You don't want any rogues making a living here, would you?" Leafpool teased him.

"I suppose not," he agreed.

"Well, let's go then," Leafpool meowed, padding out of the den. After a heartbeat's hesitation, she heard Crowfeather follow her.

"Where do you think we should go?" she mewed.

"Let's just patrol the whole border," the dark gray tom meowed. "Our territory isn't that big and we should make it around before it's sunhigh."

"Good point."

When they returned from the patrol, the two cats stretched out on a large, flat, gray rock that was similar to Sunningrocks in ThunderClan's forest territory.

Leafpool let out a purr and twined her tail with her mate's. There was plenty of fresh-kill around, and she had grown quite plump. And not just from the fresh-kill. She just needed to figure out when to tell Crowfeather . . .

Crowfeather started washing the fur on his flank. When he was finished, he mewed, "Is something wrong Leafpool?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Five moons have passed since the Gathering. I forgot to put that in my last note.**

**

* * *

**

Leafpool froze.

_How does he know?_ Aloud she mewed, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, why did you tense when I asked?" Crowfeather countered.

_Oh, he's good. Now, how do I tell him? I just can't come right out with it._

Leafpool shifted her weight on the rock. She took a breath and hesitate before meowing, "Crowfeather. . ."

"What?"

_Oh, well. I might as well come out with it._

"I'm going to have kits."

Crowfeather's blue eyes grew round like an owl's.

Leafpool found herself shrinking in her fur. How was he going to take this?

"That's great!" he exclaimed. Apparently, he was taking it quite well. The dark gray tom pressed his muzzle against hers.

"But what about your other kits?" Leafpool asked.

"They're far away. They don't have to know."

"Still. . ."

"Leafpool." Crowfeather brushed his tail along her side and twined it with hers. "We've left the Clans behind. We can't go back now, and besides, we've been exiled."

Leafpool sighed. "I suppose you're right."

She stood up and headed towards their den. Crowfeather gazed after her for a few heartbeats, then leaped down from the basking rocks and followed her.

It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior of the den. When they did, they made out Leafpool curled up in their nest, her sides moving as if she was sleeping.

Crowfeather started to move towards her, then thought better of it. _I'd better go find us some fresh-kill,_ he thought. He turned and left camp, heading into the copse of trees to hunt.

Leafpool curled into the nest and shut her eyes. When she did, she found herself on the path to the Moonpool.

_What am I doing here?_ she thought as she padded forward. Sudden yowling forced her to move her paws faster. Before long, it seemed that she was moving as fast as a StarClan cat, her paws lighter than air.

When she reached the top of the rise leading down to the sacred pool, she froze in horror.


	8. Chapter 8

_Near the base of the Moonpool_, Jayfeather and Breezepelt were fighting. Poppyfrost was there too, her belly swollen with kits.

Suddenly, Leafpool heard pawsteps behind her. She whirled around to see Feathertail standing a tail-length away.

"Help him Leafpool," the silver tabby she-cat meowed, her blue eyes wide.

"Okay," Leafpool meowed. She started down the rocky path that led to the sacred pool, but heard a voice call her name.

"Leafpool! Leafpool!"

Leafpool blinked open her eyes to see Crowfeather standing over her, his blue eyes wide with worry.

"Whoa! Geez, Crowfeather," Leafpool meowed, jumping about three tail-lengths high in fright. "You scared me."

Her mate sat down and curled his tail around his front paws. "Sorry. I brought us some fresh-kill," he meowed, pushing a fat rabbit towards her. "I thought you might be hungry."

"Thanks," Leafpool meowed, beginning to eat. Should I tell him about my dream? she wondered. She decided she should.

She opened her mouth but before she could say anything, Crowfeather meowed, "What were you dreaming about?"

"Crowfeather, how far away are we from the Moonpool?"

"Not far," he answered. "Why?"

"Jayfeather's in trouble."

Crowfeather looked worried.

"Crowfeather, we have to get to the Moonpool. Now!"

"Okay," the dark gray tom meowed, standing up. "Let's go."

* * *

Leafpool and Crowfeather padded out of the den and pelted towards the direction of the Moonpool. They reached the pool just as the sun was sinking behind WindClan's hills. Poppyfrost was there, along with Jayfeather. Crowfeather paused to taste the air. To his surprise, he could scent Breezepelt.

_What's_ he _doing here?_ the dark gray tom thought in confusion. He crouched behind a bush with Leafpool beside him, feeling her tense.

"Crowfeather, look," she whispered.

Crowfeather followed her gaze. Breezepelt was slinking towards Jayfeather and Poppyfrost.

"What's this? Another dilemma for ThunderClan? You cats should really control your emotions, you know. Now you'll just have more kits that should never be born," the black WindClan tom was meowing softly, his voice echoing off the rocks.

"Breezepelt!" Poppyfrost meowed, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"That's not very friendly." Breezepelt's meow was soft. "The Moonpool isn't ThunderClan territory, you know."

Then Crowfeather heard Jayfeather snap, "Leave us alone! We don't need you here."

"Oh, I think you do," Breezepelt meowed, creeping even closer. "I'm willing to help Poppyfrost get to StarClan, even if you're not."

Crowfeather heard Poppyfrost gulp. He could see the tortoiseshell queen couldn't see why Breezepelt was threatening her.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jayfeather meowed. "You won't kill her, not while I'm here." Crowfeather felt Leafpool tense up even more beside him. Her muscles were coiled and ready to spring at any moment to protect her son.

Crowfeather forced his attention back to the scene at the pool. Breezepelt was a tail-length away and snarling, "Oh, really? And you, a blind medicine cat, think you can stop me, do you? When her body is found drowned in your precious pool, it'll be your word against mine. I was never here tonight. My Clanmates can lie just as well as yours, Jayfeather."

Crowfeather saw Poppyfrost gasp, and Jayfeather step in front of her to guard her from his half brother. The dark gray tom could almost see the waves of hatred coming off Breezepelt. With a start, he realized he black tom would do anything to punish his ThunderClan kin from being born.

"Your quarrel is with me, Breezepelt," Jayfeather growled. "Let Poppyfrost go."

Breezepelt, with a snort of contempt, snarled, "Sending you to StarClan isn't enough of a punishment. You need to know what it's like to have every cat in your Clan stare at you, whisper about you. You need to know that you're surrounded by lies and hatred and things that should never have happened."

"You think we don't know that?" Jayfeather challenged. "The worst of the lies were told about us. We didn't even know who our real parents were!"

Crowfeather saw Breezepelt falter for a moment, but it didn't last. He hissed, "Don't try to talk your way out of this. You're nothing but a coward."

Leafpool tensed up even more. Jayfeather unsheathed his claws and sprang at Breezepelt.

"Now!" Leafpool yowled, springing up and racing towards the battling cats. Crowfeather followed her. Yowling a battle cry, the light brown tabby sprang on Breezepelt.

"No fair!" the WindClan tom yowled. "

You call attacking a blind medicine cat fair?" Leafpool retorted as she took a swipe at his ear.

"Get off me!" Breezepelt growled. He bucked, trying to throw Leafpool off. With a heave, Leafpool flew off and landed hard on her side.

Crowfeather didn't hesitate. He launched himself at Breezepelt, raking his claws along the black tom's side. Breezepelt yowled in pain and turned towards him, teeth bared in a snarl.

"Crowfeather!" he snarled. His amber eyes gleamed with hatred. "This isn't your fight. Get out of here!"

"I think it is our fight," Crowfeather retorted, crouching, ready to spring. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Leafpool get up and shake herself off. The light brown tabby warrior circled around Breezepelt, tyring to get close to Jayfeather and Poppyfrost.

"Get out of here!" she ordered them.

"No way!" Jayfeather retorted. "You need help."

"Fine, then! Poppyfrost, think of your kits and get out of here!"

Crowfeather saw Poppyfrost lash her tail and make no move to get away. Suddenly, he felt a huge weight collapse on him.

_Another cat? Really, StarClan? _Another cat!

Thinking fast, Crowfeather dropped to his belly and rolled, crushing his attacker. The strange tom's scent filled his nostrils, smelling of the forest in the night_. Who is this cat?_

He didn't have time to wonder, since Breezepelt had lost interest in him and was slinking towards Jayfeather and Leafpool, teeth bared, tail fluffed out to twice its size. He swiped a paw at Jayfeather's ear. The ThunderClan medicine cat flinched and flailed his unsheathed claws at his half-brother's shoulder. Jayfeather gave a yowl of satisfaction as his claws met their mark.

Crowfeather by now had noticed that his enemy had vanished. Well--his weight had vanished. The thing was, Crowfeather couldn't see him. He shook his head in confusion, racing over to Leafpool, Breezepelt, Jayfeather and Poppyfrost. Suddenly, Leafpool let out a startled yowl as her paws flew out from under her, even though no cat was there.

_StarClan, help us!_

* * *

**Sorry if it seems a little rushed, but I wanted to find a place to stop. I'll try to update soon. Please read and review. I'd really appreciate it!  
~~ Brambleshadow**


	9. Chapter 9

**Finally updating! Yay! Sorry, but when I tried to earlier, the Document Manager thing had deleted it. Again, sorry for the wait.**

* * *

_Jayfeather was struggling with Breezepelt when _he heard a voice close to his ear hiss, "Need some help, Jayfeather?"

"Honeyfern!" he gasped.

Leafpool, dragging herself to her paws, meowed, "What about Honeyfern?"

Jayfeather didn't answer his mother. As far as he was concerned, he had no mother. Besides, Honeyfern had leaped for the ghost warrior who was now battling with Crowfeather-again. Hadn't he learned his lesson?

His thoughts were scattered as Leafpool leaped on his half-brother again, dragging him off Jayfeather and clawing out tufts of his fur.

"Geroff me!" the black WindClan tom yowled.

"Get out of here, then!" Leafpool hissed.

"Leafpool, you get out of here!" Poppyfrost intervened. "Think of _your _kits!"

"How'd you know?" Leafpool tightened her grip on Breezepelt as he tried to slither out of her grasp.

"Oh, let me think . . . it's getting obvious," Poppyfrost snapped. Jayfeather heard her tail whistle through the air as she lashed it angrily.

Leafpool's concentration broken, Breezepelt slithered out of her loosened hold and reared onto his hind legs, forepaws swiping at Leafpool's head. Jayfeather yowled and swiped a forepaw at his half-brother's hind legs so he could unbalance him. Suddenly, he scented more StarClan cats.

"Breezepelt, get out of here!" he heard Yellowfang hiss. She leaped over to Honeyfern, adding to the dark ghost warrior, "and as for you-get your tail out of here! You don't belong here!"

Breezepelt retreated, growling, "It's not over yet."

"Just shut up and get your tail out of here!" Jayfeather and Crowfeather snapped at the same time. Jayfeather added, "You heard Yellowfang. Now, beat it."

The blind gray medicine cat heard Breezepelt's snarling grow quieter as he retreated. Tasting the air, he found that the ghost tom had vanished, too.

Yellowfang turned to him. "I know who helped Breezepelt," she meowed abruptly.

"Who was it?"

"That's not for you to know right now. The Dark Forest is rising. This might be what the Three are needed for."

"The Three?" Leafpool asked. "Jayfeather, what is she meowing about?"

Jayfeather had forgotten that Leafpool could see and their warrior ancestors too. Even though she was a warrior, she still had a powerful connection with StarClan. He sighed and asked Yellowfang, "Should I tell them?"

"You might as well."

"Okay." He turned to Leafpool and Crowfeather. "Long ago, Firestar received a prophecy from an ancient cat from another Clan.-"

"SkyClan," Leafpool interjected.

"How did you know? Well, I never really knew what Clan he was from . . ."

"Sandstorm told Squirrelflight and I when we were kits in the nursery," Leafpool told him. "Now, would you please continue?"

"Great StarClan!" Jayfeather muttered under his breath, then continued, "The old cat told Firestar, 'There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.' Lionblaze, Dovepaw, and I are the Three."

"Oh, this is just great," Crowfeather meowed sarcastically. "ThunderClan has the most powerful cats in the history of the Clans and Firestar never told any other cat?"

"Uh, no."

"Okay, then. See ya!" the former WindClan warrior meowed brightly. He turned to go, but Leafpool put her tail in his path.

"Come on, Crowfeather. It's not like we can just stroll into a Gathering and announce it to all the Clans! How do you think they would take it?"

"Badly."

"_Now_ do you see why we never told any other cat?" Jayfeather mewed pointedly.

"Yeah. Can we go now? We have to get back to our own territory."

"Fine," Jayfeather sighed.

* * *

Back in their own territory, Crowfeather and Leafpool decided to take a walk and collect some healing herbs so Leafpool could treat their scratches and hunt. Leafpool was about to bite off some marigold leaves and stems when she picked up an unusual scent. It was a cat, but not one she recognized.

"Crowfeather!" she hissed.

Her mate bounded over from where he was stalking a mouse. "What is it?"

"Do you smell that?"

He tasted the air. "Yeah. I can't place it, but it seems familiar . . ."

Crowfeather was suddenly knocked to the ground as he was blindsided by a huge black shape.

The black cat dug its claws into the dark gray tom's fur and hissed, "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear by StarClan I will."

Crowfeather looked into the green eyes of his attacker and chocked out, "Hollyleaf?"

* * *

**Dun, dun, duunnn . . . I love cliffhangers! Please review! You know you want to!**


	10. Chapter 10

_"That's right," Hollyleaf hissed, her black _tail lashing.

_But she's dead! _Crowfeather thought in cofusion. Leafpool had the same thought.

"But you're supposed to be dead!" his mate exclaimed.

Hollyleaf swiveled her head so her green gaze could pierce Leafpool's amber one. "Well, in case you haven't noticed," she meowed sarcastically, "I'm not dead. If I were, I could hardly expect to be here."

"Will you please get off me?" Crowfeather gasped from beneath the black she-cat.

"I don't see why I have to!" Hollyleaf spat. "Both of you deserve to die!" Her fur was fluffed out so she looked twice her size.

"Hollyleaf, don't you remember what I said to you in the medicine den when you tried to force me to eat deathberries?" Leafpool asked her daughter.

_She tried to **what?**_

Hollyleaf let out a snarl, but didn't reply.

"I said that I had lost my calling as a medicine cat, my kits, and the one cat I loved. What do you think would be easier for me: to die or go on living?"

"Well, you obviously haven't lost Crowfeather," Hollyleaf growled. "But you will." She unsheathed her claws and tightened her hold on Crowfeather's neck.

Thinking hard, Crowfeather let himself go limp. When Hollyleaf let out a triumphant snarl and loosened her hold, Crowfeather leaped to his paws, throwing the black she-cat off him. He spun around to face his daughter. "What in the name of StarClan do you think you're doing?"

"Trying to kill both of you. What's it look like?" Hollyleaf meowed sarcastically.

"I thought Jayfeather was supposed to be the sarcastic one," Crowfeather joked, moving towards Leafpool.

"Don't try to talk your way out of this," Hollyleaf hissed. "You're nothing but a coward."

"You've been spending time with Breezepelt, haven't you?"

Hollyleaf looked puzzled. "No. Why do you ask?"

"He said the same thing to Jayfeather at the Moonpool before he attacked him."

"And you know this how, exactly?"

"Uh, let me think . . . we were there."

Crowfeather's daughter lashed her tail, growled, and tensed again, preparing to leap at him - again - when Leafpool stepped forward. She meowed firmly, "Hollyleaf, what are you doing on our territory? Shouldn't you be with your Clanmates?"

"I have no Clanmates," Hollyleaf hissed. "Now, stay out of my fur!"

_Who put thorns in her fur? _Crowfeather thought, feeling his hackles rise and his claws unsheath. Really, he was a couple heartbeats from slashing his claws across her face.

"Get out of our territory, then!" Leafpool growled at her daughter. Startled, Crowfeather glanced at his mate. In that moment of distraction, Hollyleaf let out a snarl and swiped a unsheathed paw at Crowfeather's face, making him flinch. The black she-cat pounced on Crowfeather's back, tearing out pawfuls of his fur. He rolled over, trying to dislodge her.

"Get _off_ him!" Leafpool panted, trying to get close to the tussling cats so she could pull Hollyleaf off the dark gray tom, but before she could, everything in Crowfeather's view went black.

* * *

**Sorry if it seems rushed, but I had a little trouble trying to figure out how to make this chapter work. I'll try to update ASAP.**


	11. Chapter 11

_A jolt of pain moved through_ Crowfeather as the dark gray tom tried to move his legs. Swiftly, he blinked open his blue eyes. Leafpool was leaning over him, concern in her amber eyes. Apparently, he was back at their camp. He scrambled up to a sitting posistion, sending moss and ferns flying everywhere and wincing as he moved aching muscles.

"What happened?" he asked his mate. A heartbeat later: "Where's Hollyleaf?" He looked around wildly for his estranged daughter.

"She's not here," Leafpool meowed, brushing her tail along his pelt. "After she knocked you unconscious, she bolted out of our territory, heading for ThunderClan. I guess she thought you were dead."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Crowfeather muttered.

Leafpool heard him and let out a _mrrow_ of amusement. "You're welcome." Then she grew serious. "What if she tells the other Clans we're here?"

"She won't. All of us are outcasts, and everyone thinks she's dead, remember?"

"You have a good point," she conceeded. Her tail-tip twitched nervously. "You're wounds are pretty bad, especially since I haven't had time to treat you since that skirmish at the Moonpool. I was able to put a poltuice of marigold on, though, so you should be healed in a couple of days."

"All right, what's really bothering you?" Crowfeather asked.

"Nothing," Leafpool muttered, avoiding his gaze. "Look, I'm going to go hunting." She stalked out of the den and headed into the copse of trees in search of prey.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the ThunderClan camp, Lionblaze padded over to the ThunderClan deputy, who was organizing hunting patrols.

"Can I lead one, Brambleclaw?" the golden tabby tom asked.

"Sure," the dark brown tabby replied. "Take Brightheart, Cloudtail, Berrynose, and Cinderheart."

"Okay." With a swish of his tail, he gathered the patrol behind him and trotted through the thorn tunnel.

"Where are we going, Lionblaze?" Cloudtail asked.

"Near the WindClan border," he replied without thinking.

Cinderheart and Brightheart exchanged glances.

_Oh, come off it! It's been _moons _since we went away. I've always been a loyal ThunderClan warrior,_ Lionblaze thought crossly. Without looking back to see if the rest of the patrol was following, he bounded through the trees to the WindClan border, scenting the air for prey and any possible intruders. The rest of the patrol bounded after him, stopping as they neared the border. Tasting the air for prey, Lionblaze almost immediately scented squirrel. He dropped into the hunter's crouch and crept around an oak tree, where he saw the squirrel munching on a nut. Its back was to him; it had no idea he was there. He crept closer and sprang, letting out an earsplitting yowl. The squirrel looked around, but it didn't get a chance to scamper up the tree. The golden tabby warrior took its life with a blow to the neck. Sitting up, he saw the other members of the patrol in various stages of the hunt. Suddenly, a hiss split the air.

Lionblaze tensed. The hiss came again: "Lionblaze! Over here!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 is finally here! Enjoy! Oh, I am holding a contest to see what the names of Leafpool and Crowfeather's kits should be. Just PM me with your answers.**

* * *

_Lionblaze relaxed as Heathertail slid out_ from behind a bush. He quickly glanced around to see if any members of the patrol were watching. They weren't, so he leaped the stream and landed next to the light brown tabby. Her blue eyes lit up as he met her gaze and mewed, "What is it, Heathertail? And don't do that. You nearly scared me out of my fur."

She purred with amusement. "Oh, really? Look, I can't stop thinking about you. Will you meet me on the Gathering island tomorrow night?"

_Yes, I do,_ he thought. But he couldn't tell her that. "I really want to, Heathertail, believe me, but -"

"But what?"

"I'm a loyal ThunderClan cat. I can't betray my Clan again." _Especially considering I'm half WindClan._

"It doesn't have to be every night," she mewed softly. "We could even meet in the tunnels. Hardly anyone remembers them, and no one could find us down there."

"Heathertail, I'll talk to you later, all right?" Ignoring her angry look, he crossed back into ThunderClan territory and buried the squirrel he had caught. He continued looking for prey, hoping no cat had noticed where he had gone.

CInderheart gave him a curious stare, then after a heartbeat continued burying her prey. With a flick of her tail, she bounded off in search of more prey. Lionblaze let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and tried to focus on prey. Try as he might, though, he now couldn't get Heathertail out of his head. Pain stabbed his heart like a claw. He knew he had done the right thing, but would Heathertail see it like that? Great StarClan, it was like they were apprentices playing in the tunnels all over again!

The golden tabby tom shook his head to clear it and saw a plump vole. Moving into the hunter's crouch, he crept up on it, leaped, and killed it with a bite to the spine. It went limp immediately in his jaws. He buried it with the squirrel, then called to the rest of the patrol, "I think that's enough. Let's head back to camp."

Brightheart, Cloudtail, Cinderheart, and Berrynose dug up their catches and followed him back to camp. On the way back, Cinderheart kept brushing her pelt against his, whether accidently or on purpose, he didn't know. He felt a purr rise in his throat, but pushed it down. _How can I feel this way when I'm still in love with Heathertail?_ he thought. Quickening his pace, he tried to get away from the gray tabby she-cat.

* * *

Crowfeather was awakened from his nap by a pain-filled yowl. THe dark gray tom's blue eyes flew open and he leaped to his paws. _Leafpool!_


	13. Chapter 13

****

**Finally, Chapter 13! Hope you like it. Oh, and could for the contest I'm having, could you PM me with names and descriptions? I'd appreciate it. Anyway, here you go.**

******Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! Sad day.  
However, I am on the run from Nightcloud.  
Enough babbling. On with the story.**

**

* * *

**

_Crowfeather trotted to the end of_ the den, desperately tasting the air for his mate's scent. He quickly detected it and started following her scent trail, frantic thoughts running through his head. _It can't be her kits, can it? They can't be due for another moon! Unless . . . Hollyleaf! Or Breezepelt - what if he found us? If either of them found out . . ._

The dark gray tom shook his head to clear it of those dark thoughts and focused on finding his mate. Her trail was leading him towards the woods. he quickened his pace as he scented another cat. _StarClan, you've got to be kidding me,_ he thought. _What would_ she _be doing here?_

Crowfeather followed the scent trails, trying to figure out who the strange scent belonged to. It smelled vaguely familiar. Then something clicked in the back of his head: Nightcloud. _Of course, mouse-brain! Who else hates you and Leafpool?_

He noticed the trails had grown stronger. The dark gray tom quickened his pace until he was racing along through the trees. He skidded to a halt when he saw Leafpool-alone-in a clearing.

The pale tabby queen was panting, as if she had just been in a fight. Crowfeather loped over to her to see if she was alright. That was when he noticed his mate was covered in claw marks.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Leafpool gazed at him dully, her amber eyes wide. Finally, she mewed, "Nightcloud attacked me."

"I kinda figured that out on my own," he snapped. He instantly regretted sounding so harsh. His voice grew softer as he asked, "Where is she?"

"I don't -" Leafpool broke off abruptly, her eyes filled with horror at something behind Crowfeather. He whipped around and saw Nightcloud stalking across the clearing towards them, her green eyes filled with hate.

_StarClan, you've got to be kidding. She wouldn't dare attack both of us, right? At least tell me she hasn't brought any other cats!_

"StarClan, please tell me she hasn't been trained by the Dark Forest," Crowfeather heard Leafpool mutter.

"What are you meowing about?" he whispered to his mate.

"Seasons ago, when we first started meeting, I ended up walking in this dark forest, where I stumbled upon Tigerstar training Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw. I think he walks there now, but I have no idea how many cats are there with Tigerstar and possibly Hawkfrost."

"Good to know," Crowfeather whispered sarcastically. He turned his blue gaze back on Nightcloud, who had halted three fox-lengths away from them, green eyes blazing.

"Well, Crowfeather?" she snarled.

The dark gray tom stepped forward to meet her, hackles raised and claws unsheathed. When they were nose to nose, he meowed calmly, "What do you want, Nightcloud?"

"What do I want?" Nightcloud growled. "I want you dead - you and your precious kits."

"Wait, which ones?"

Nightcloud snarled silently, then hissed, "Not your ThunderClan or WindClan kits, if that's what you mean."

A red haze filled Crowfeather's vision, threatening to sweep everything else away. He raised a forepaw and aimed at Nightcloud's face. Quick as lightning, the black she-cat dodged the blow and leaped onto his back, tearing out tufts of his fur as she clawed him. Crowfeather froze as he felt her teeth meet with his neck. The dark gray tom quickly went limp, and when Nightcloud loosened her hold, leaped to his paws, throwing her off.

The black WindClan she-cat landed hard on her side a few fox-lengths away, but then somehow managed to rise to her paws again. Her tail lashed as she circled around Crowfeather, green eyes glittering warily. Crowfeather by this time had rolled over onto four paws, and narrowed his eyes, calcuating his former mate's every move. Then Nightcloud lunged, but not at him.

A yowl of terror escaped Crowfeather as Nightcloud's claws met in Leafpool's neck, bringing the light brown tabby down.

Leafpool's white paws flailed at her attacker's shoulder, but since she was heavy with her kits, her blows were feebily aimed, with little strength behind them. Besides, she was already tired from the furious she-cat's previous attack. Crowfeather couldn't see how she could last much longer.

Horror-struck, he could only watch helplessly as Nightcloud's teeth sank into Leafpool's neck.

* * *

**Ooooh, cliffhanger! I hate doing this to you guys - oh, who am I kidding? I love doing it! - and you probably hate me for it, but don't worry. I have a plan! You just have to wait and see what it is. *evil laugh* (I seem to be doing a lot of those lately.)**


	14. Author's Note

I know I'm not supposed to put an author's note as a chapter, but I have been getting reviews asking when I'm next going to update. I promise I will eventually get around to this story, but I have a work in progress I'm concentrating on right now, and there are two more stories I want to work on (one of which is currently on hiatus). When those two are done, I will begin updating this story again. I apologize for the long hiatus, but I've kinda moved on to other fandoms (I still read Warriors, but I've lost interest in writing Warriors stories - sort of. It's hard when I know I have stories I have to finish but begin working on new projects instead. And I have an idea for a Warriors/NCIS crossover . . . The things my mind will dream up! *rolls eyes*).

In other words, it may be a few months before I can get around to this story, or I may update whenever I feel like writing a new chapter for _Outcasts_. Since I've noticed several, er, weak points in this fanfic, I guess I'll go back and revise it while working on aforementioned WIP (anyone else here watch/read _21 Jump Street_? [The TV show, not the movie.]).


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